West Ham United face an uphill challenge this evening if they are to make it past Astra and into the next round of the Europa League.

The two teams are even at 2-2 after the first leg, but the Hammers saw a 2-0 lead disappear during that game which gives Astra the advantage if Slaven Bilic’s team fail to find the back of the net this evening.

Bilic will definitely have one eye on this weekend and the opening game of the Premier League season against Arsenal, which will see the intensity and pressure ramped up over the side.

Europe creates the opportunity for West Ham to achieve something special but it’s also something which has exposed a little lack of discipline, with three red cards already, which is something that the side will be looking to rectify.

A good performance this evening could create a springboard, inspiring the team ahead of the showdown against the Gunners giving the club a great start to the season.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.